85R27581 JH-D
By: Straus H.R. No. 17
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, A life filled with heroic service and meaningful
accomplishments drew to a close with the passing of Joseph Ray Perry
of Paint Creek on April 27, 2017, at the age of 92; and
WHEREAS, The son of Hoyt Perry and Thelma Dinsmore Perry, Ray
Perry was born in the Paint Creek community on April 23, 1925; he
was educated at the Post School and in the Paint Creek Independent
School District, which his grandfather, Wayne Perry, helped
establish while Ray was growing up; with his country at war at the
time of his graduation in 1943, he joined the U.S. Army Air Corps,
and while still a teenager, he accepted the perilous assignment of
being the tail gunner on a B-17 bomber; he ultimately completed 35
combat missions over Nazi Germany, including one in which his
crew's heavily damaged plane barely made it back to its base in
England, and he was awarded a number of medals for his valorous
service; and
WHEREAS, After demobilization, Mr. Perry returned to Haskell
County and soon had the good fortune to meet Amelia June Holt on a
blind date; the couple married on June 29, 1947, beginning a
rewarding marriage that would span almost 70 years; they settled in
Paint Creek and worked as tenant farmers until they were able to
purchase their own property, and Mr. Perry's deep love of farming
and the land where he lived and worked were essential touchstones in
his life; and
WHEREAS, The Perrys became the parents of two children, Milla
Perry Jones and James Richard "Rick" Perry; Mr. Perry took great
pride in the accomplishments of his children, including his son,
who was inspired by his father's example to become an officer in the
U.S. Air Force and whose career in public office has included
service as the Texas commissioner of agriculture and lieutenant
governor, as the state's longest-serving governor, and as the
United States secretary of energy; and
WHEREAS, A prominent member of his community, Ray Perry
served for a decade on the Paint Creek ISD school board, and in
1968, he was first elected as a county commissioner; he held that
office for 28 years, and his achievements made a lasting and
positive difference in the lives of his fellow citizens; he also
distinguished himself during his six-year tenure on the West
Central Texas Council of Governments, which included two years as
the president of the board; moreover, he was a member and two-time
president of the Paint Creek Water Corporation board, after having
played an instrumental role in the corporation's founding; and
WHEREAS, In the 1990s, Mr. Perry retired, and he spent his
time enjoying the love and laughter of his grandchildren and his
great-grandchildren; through the years, he was an avid hunter, and
a highlight of his hunting excursions was a trip to Alaska on which
he shot a world record caribou; and
WHEREAS, Ray Perry was a courageous airman, a caring husband
and father, and a respected community leader, and the contributions
he made in each of these roles will long inspire those who were
fortunate enough to know him; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas
Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of Joseph Ray Perry and
extend sincere condolences to the members of his family: to his
wife, Amelia Perry; to his children, Milla Perry Jones and James
Richard "Rick" Perry and his wife, Anita; to his grandchildren,
Griffin Perry and his wife, Meredith, Caitlyn Jones, and Sydney
Perry Harrison and her husband, Brett; to his great-granddaughters,
Ella and Piper Perry; to his brothers, Gene Perry and Don Perry and
his wife, Nanette; to his sister, Frances Blacklock; to his nieces
and nephews; and to his other relatives and many friends; and, be it
further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of
Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Joseph Ray
Perry.